1967 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback - Exponentially Excessive

Long before the invention of cement, medieval architects and builders of castles were required to clear and level boulders, trees, and earth from mountain sides and bogs to provide a solid foundation. Many of these massive fortifications remain in place today as a testament to their engineers' genius and efforts. The foundation is the basis on which everything is based and supported.

When it comes to David Brown's exceptional '67 Barracuda fastback, his foundation wasn't a platform forged from hewn stone or iron scaffolding, but a '66 cast-iron Hemi block pried from the hands of a close friend and fellow Mopar enthusiast, Albert Bembe. With the engine block, though bare, David was able to begin blueprinting plans for a Super Stock clone. A dyed-in-the-wool fan of the factory '68 SS/A Darts and Barracudas, David laid out a strategy of attack.

The Edgewater, Maryland, native found a '67 fastback A-Body in Virginia in pitiful shape, but the $500 purchase price included all the factory glass, interior and exterior trim. Due to its rotted floors and cancerous panels, it was an easy decision to opt to make this stocker a Pro Street ride. Tube chassis components were ordered, as well as all the suspension kits from Chassis Engineering. Both quarter-panels were replaced with Year One sheetmetal.

David devoted hours to relieving the Barracuda's body of its contaminated floors, firewall, and trunk, and fabricating custom floorpans and wheeltubs. The conversion from a unibody platform to a complete tube chassis is extensive; new engine plates were bolted to the forward chassis to harness the stout powerplant that David had in mind. After all the sheetmetal work was squared away, he tackled the drivetrain.

The goal was to build a rolling combination of excessive performance and super-clean aesthetics. The Barracuda's Hemi was going to be both hard-core and streetable with a 7.5:1 compressioned pump-gas street engine, topped with an 8.71 BDS Air Loc Rotor blower. The 426 block was bored .010-inch over, line honed, deburred, and ground for pushrod clearance. A Donovan geardrive and a Milodon pan with dual oil pickup lines from a swinging internal pickup were added, while a Crane hydraulic roller cam would control the valves. Those valves are Ferrera SS with Crane Cams springs on cast MP heads that have been port-matched with bronze guides and a competition three-angle valve job. The whole package was built by the pros at Mancini Machine in Baltimore, Maryland. David, a professional welder, designed and fabricated his own headers, and had them jet-coated for the final look. The exhaust was plumbed with 211/44-inch tubes through dual Flowmaster series 40 mufflers.

Mike Goodwin of Louisa, Virginia, put the 727 TorqueFlite together with a Hurst Quarter Stick shifter. The transmission was fitted with a 3,400-stall converter and TCI internals. A Strange Engineering rearend with an Auburn Gear differential sporting Richmond 4.11gears is mated to a four-link with Aldan coilovers and a wishbone locater bar. The front suspension got a Mustang II setup with rack-and-pinion steering. The front wheels ride on Air Ride Technologies air bags and leveling system. Wilwood disc brakes bring the Weld Pro Stars wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber to a stop. David made sure that his fastback Barracuda had nothing but the best. All the marker lights, dash gauges and lights, wipers, and accessories functioned. The master cylinder was tucked under the dash along with the wiper motor and rods. The Painless wiring kit was hidden underneath the inner fenderwells, leaving the engine bay totally clean to display the polished blown Hemi.

The rolling A-Body was given to John Miller, a prodigy paint and body man at the youthful age of 22. The whole body was blocked, prepped, and sanded, while all the gaps were aligned, interior stripped, and underbody readied. Everything was painted-and we mean everything-in Chrysler PT Cruiser Inferno Red. What survived John's spray gun was painted in tan bedliner paint, a thin layer of protection from stone chips and wayward rocks. The engine block, frame, and rollcage were painted to match the body-an astounding feat of craftsmanship considering this was only the second complete car John had ever painted. Once the red hue cured, the Barracuda was brought back home where Auto Meter gauges, Air Ride controls, and a new radio were installed into the stock dashboard. Danny Haley of DH Upholstery dove into the cockpit to install the new upholstery.

Details abound in this super Super Stocker with hand-painted Barracuda badging and logos, custom stitch work, and trick fabrication. The car has the look of one of those professionally built show cars that the likes of Steve Strope and Chip Foose would be proud of.

Amazingly, David dares to bring this beast out whenever the weather permits. David gloats that his best is an average of 9 mpg, as opposed to 9 miles-per-tank. This car is intimidating and impressive, and as David summed up, "Not too bad for being built in a barn with a bunch of friends."